Cambridge, Mass., is the best college town in the US, according to Business Insider and Niche. (Shutterstock)

(Newser)
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Business Insider, with help from Niche, has a list of the top 30 college towns in the US. That's based on cost of living, the real-estate market, diversity, access to amenities, crime rates, and more. To qualify as a college town, places had to be home to a top-250 college and have at least 10% of their population made up of students at said college. By those factors, here are the top 10 college towns in the US:

Cambridge, Mass.: The best college town in the country boasts both Harvard and MIT and is “one of the best places to live for the up-and-coming millennial.”

Ann Arbor, Mich.: The home of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor “is a great town” with “A+” nightlife.

Ames, Iowa: Despite the presence of Iowa State University, Ames “isn’t rushed like a big city.”

Boulder, Colo.: The home of the University of Colorado at Boulder is “the perfect college town, but also perfect for young families.”

Berkeley, Calif.: The University of California at Berkeley is surrounded by a “bustling college town” with a “large variety of activities” for even non-students.

Davis, Calif.: The home of the University of California at Davis features bars, restaurants, parks, and “plenty of shade and lovely flowers.”

Irvine, Calif.: Median monthly rent around the University of California at Irvine exceeds $1,800, but “it’s an amazing place to live” that’s “only around 45 minutes” from Los Angeles.

Princeton, NJ: It will cost you a decent chunk of change to live near Princeton University, but the town boasts an “A+” nightlife.

Lawrence, Kan.: The home of the University of Kansas is a “big city with the small town feel.”

Decorah, Iowa: The home of Luther College boasts a tiny population of just over 8,000 people but gets good marks for nightlife and cost of living, with median rent only $584.

Every single town/city on the top-30 list has a nightlife of A+ except for a few A's and an A-. Almost all have a cost of living of C or D. That says a lot about college - spend a crapload of money to go get drunk and leave with a piece of paper.

No-Left-Turn

Jul 13, 2016 9:14 PM CDT

I love Boulder, Colorado. That's where I really wanted to go to college. Then I saw out-of-state tuition rates and reality set in. So many kids today ignore that, plow ahead, and then end up hopelessly in debt. If college kids are willing to pay any price, colleges will charge any price.

FarmerM

Jul 13, 2016 5:12 PM CDT

Cambridge...five feet of snow for how many months two years ago? And rent....nice place if you have a good trust fund. Now if you are one of those sought after students and the top colleges pick you, tuition help makes the rent doable. But there are 200,000 students in the Boston area--so the sheer numbers make it interesting. You see two age groups on the T--young and old. 45 is a rarer sighting.